Penny Hardaway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Point guard |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Penny |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | July 18, 1971 (age 35) Memphis, Tennessee |
| High school | Treadwell High School |
| College | Memphis State University |
| Draft | 3rd overall, 1993 Golden State Warriors |
| Pro career | 1993–present |
| Former teams | Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks |
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Basketball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1996 Atlanta | United States | |
Anfernee Deon ("Penny") Hardaway (born July 18, 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee) is a 6' 7" (2.01 m) American professional basketball player in the NBA playing at point guard/shooting guard. He is currently (as of 2007) a free agent, as he was recently waived by the Orlando Magic[citation needed]. Injuries have plagued his career and reduced his effectiveness over a decade of NBA service. Hardaway's play often dazzled the home crowds and awed opposing team's fans on the road with his superb court vision coupled with a consistent scoring ability. His most productive years came in his days as a member of the Orlando Magic as well as the early portion of his stint with the Phoenix Suns.
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[edit] Early life
Hardaway adopted the nickname "Penny" from his grandmother who used to say that Anfernee was "pretty as a penny" and hence his friends began to call him by that name.[citation needed] He grew up playing basketball in Memphis for Treadwell High School, where he averaged 36.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists as a senior, and committed to Memphis State University (known as the University of Memphis since 1994). In his first year of college basketball Hardaway was listed ineligible to play due to poor academic performance. However, he would suit up and play the next two seasons for Memphis before entering the NBA draft.
[edit] NBA career
Penny declared for the 1993 NBA Draft where he was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round (third pick overall), but was traded along with three future first-round picks to the Orlando Magic for the rights to first overall pick Chris Webber. He immediately made an impact on the league, winning the MVP award of the Schick Rookie Game and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year to the aforementioned Webber. Along with Shaquille O'Neal, he led his team to the NBA Finals in his second season, where they succumbed to the Houston Rockets. Hardaway was named to the 1996 US Olympic Games Basketball Team, which won a gold medal.
He played in the NBA All-Star Game four times in his career (1995-1998) and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1995 and 1996, as well as the All-NBA Third Team in 1997. He and teammate Shaquille O'Neal formed what was at the time considered the most potent outside-inside tandem in the NBA. At about the same time, a popular advertising campaign (by Nike, Inc.) featuring Hardaway and Chris Rock made him a household name, and it appeared that he would be one of the top and most visible players in the league for years to come.
A devastating left knee injury, however, incurred early in the 1997-98 NBA season required surgery and forced him to miss the rest of that season. He was criticized that season for attempting a comeback sooner than expected by playing in the 1998 All-Star Game, where he re-injured his knee badly enough that he was forced to miss most of the rest of the season (Hardaway has since endured another four surgeries on his left knee up to the present that have gradually deteriorated his explosive athletic abilities.)
Afterwards, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Danny Manning, Pat Garrity and two future first round draft picks. In his first season on arrival in Phoenix, Hardaway would team with Jason Kidd in the back court to help lead the Suns past defending champion San Antonio in the First Round of the 2000 NBA Playoffs but shortly after fall to the soon to be crowned NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Semi-Finals. Since then, Hardaway has had continued problems with his left knee, most notably missing most of the 2001 season due to a long recuperation following further surgery on that knee. No longer considered an elite or star player, Hardaway is known best for his "Lil' Penny" commericals.[citation needed] After a stint with the New York Knicks, he was traded back to Orlando, along with Trevor Ariza, for Steve Francis on February 22, 2006, but was waived by Orlando soon after.
[edit] Career awards/accomplishments
- NBA Finals (1995)
- MVP - Schick Rookie Game (1994)
- NBA Player of the Month (Nov 1995)
- All-NBA Rookie Team (1994)
- All-NBA First Team (1995, '96)
- All-NBA Third Team (1997)
- NBA All-Star Team (1995, '96, '97, '98)
- Gold Medal - USA Men's Basketball (1996 Summer Olympics)
[edit] Trivia
- Appeared in the movie Blue Chips, where Nick Nolte plays a college basketball coach under intense pressure to win games. He recruits players played by Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal, and former University of Indiana player Matt Nover.
[edit] References
^ John Thompson interview, NBA on TNT March 9, 2006
[edit] External links
| 1996 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – United States |
|---|
| Charles Barkley | Penny Hardaway | Grant Hill | Karl Malone | Reggie Miller | Hakeem Olajuwon Shaquille O'Neal | Gary Payton | Scottie Pippen | Mitch Richmond | David Robinson | John Stockton |
| Coach: Lenny Wilkins |
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | 1971 births | African American basketball players | Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics | Living people | People from Memphis | Memphis Tigers basketball players | New York Knicks players | Olympic competitors for the United States | Olympic gold medalists for the United States | Orlando Magic players | Phoenix Suns players
